How Online Learning Is Helping Foster Individualized Learning

With the advent of online learning, there are several new tools being introduced in the field of education. Not only are these tools based on cutting-edge technology but they are also tools that are helping teachers reach their students in a more effective manner. Learning has traditionally been centered on the teacher with a number of students required to listen to lectures throughout the day in a four-walled classroom. However, educators are now being introduced to different methodologies that promote individualized learning and are slowly moving education toward a system that is student-centered.

Students are growing up around technology in virtually every aspect of their lives. Their daily routines are characterized by time spent surfing on the internet and having online discussions. They are more aware of events taking place around them than ever before. Given such circumstances, it only makes sense to leverage that technology to help deliver a more holistic learning experience that is geared toward their overall development along with offering them a good quality education. Virtual learning platforms are increasingly making use of different kinds of audio and visual tools to help deliver education in a more interactive manner to students all over the world.

If you’re looking for proof you need not look very far. Just consider YouTube as an example. You’ve practically got a video for everything you could think of. Along the same lines, there are several other websites online that offer you information about different subjects. Online homeschooling, in certain ways, is leveraging these trends in a manner that is making learning a lot more fun for students in the classroom as well as at home. According to research studies, boredom has been cited as one of the major reasons why students lose interest in learning and eventually drop out of high school. Is it any wonder then why the number of high school dropouts has been steadily increasing over the years?

By making use of the right technology, teachers and educators can now deliver education in several different ways. Virtual learning platforms offer students different options in terms of enrolling for courses online. You can opt for courses that are available as standalone options or select ‘hybrid’ courses that combine web-based learning with face-to-face instruction. In such cases, students may be required to attend school and learn within a physical classroom as part of their curriculum. Furthermore, such online platforms make communication a lot more seamless, efficient and extremely affordable given the low cost of technology today. Even the ever-increasing numbers of devices that facilitate such communication make it a lot more feasible to impart education via student-centric approaches.

One of the major pitfalls to consider here is the understanding of what these platforms are and what they aren’t. Most people tend to harbor misconceptions about the potential of these platforms regarding what can be achieved with them and what cannot. While they are based on cutting-edge technology, they are still supplementary tools that are used to aid the teacher in the delivery of instruction. Online learning in no way undermines or does away with the need of the teacher to impart instruction to the student. Students are still required to complete coursework in the classroom as well as complete assignments at home. The amount of coursework too, isn’t any lesser than that which is required from students studying via traditional schools.

On the other hand, students have mentioned that the online homeschooling curriculum is a lot more rigorous than what they were required to study when learning through a conventional school setting. For those learning via an avenue that is completely web-based, parents are required to provide supplementary instruction to that received from the teacher along with necessary supervision. This varies for different children according to age and their individual capacities to learn independently. Moreover, since students have access to their content even at home, they can cope with any classes they may have missed according to their own time schedules. This makes it extremely convenient for parents and teachers, and students don’t have to worry about falling behind either.

Online homeschooling also offers several significant advantages over traditional schools in terms of delivering student-centric learning. In an effort to make the entire process of learning more focused on the needs of each individual student, the courses offered online are self-paced. This means that students are allowed to spend as much time as they need with a particular topic to grasp and understand it well. Additionally, they are not required to worry about the pressure of coping with the rest of the class, which makes learning a lot more stress-free and fun. The costs involved in imparting education to each student in this manner too, are much lower than those associated with setting up conventional schools.

One of the major advantages of using online learning platforms to foster individualized learning is that students can now truly move at their own pace when it comes to learning their course material. They can spend as much time as they need to and can also review whatever they need whenever they need. In this way, teachers are freed up to spend more time with students on aspects that truly require their attention. Moreover, teachers get to work with students one-on-one as opposed to the traditional approach of addressing the entire class. Not only does this make for more effective teaching but it also helps save a lot of time for both the teacher and the students. Additionally, a major advantage offered by such avenues is the freedom from ridicule. Students are encouraged to explore their course material in a more comprehensive manner and ask questions more freely. Since the entire process is based on one-to-one communication, students need not be afraid of making mistakes.

There are many other advantages virtual learning offers over conventional schooling. The key however, is to evaluate all the merits carefully and then decide what’s best for you. After all, a good quality education is your gateway to future possibilities.